


{{ heaven is a place on earth with you }}

by moreissuesthanv0gue



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Homeless, Christmas baking, Fluff, Homeless Harry, Insecure Harry, Kid Fic, M/M, araminta is so cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-08
Updated: 2014-12-08
Packaged: 2018-02-28 14:47:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2736488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moreissuesthanv0gue/pseuds/moreissuesthanv0gue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>”are you upset?” “I don’t have to be”</p><p>or the one where Louis is drawn to the beggar with the hopeful eyes, because really, who wouldn’t be?</p>
            </blockquote>





	{{ heaven is a place on earth with you }}

Louis loved London, he really did, but fuck, he also really loved a good adventure.So he stopped living how other people wanted him to, and started living his own life - because shit, we was _22_. Maybe it was these spontaneous, good-boy-gone-bad thoughts that inclined him to do it, or maybe he just wanted to get the hell out of uni.Either way, he found himself at the airport on the first Sunday of December, with a plane ticket to LA, a solitary backpack, and a hell of a lot of hope.

The second he stepped off of the plane, he knew - because even though he’d been cramped in a cheap plane for almost 12 hours, had lasagna dumped in his lap and was forced to sleep in less than ideal circumstances, he felt _right._ Surrounded by palm trees decorated with twinkling lights, and christmas messages engraved into the white sand, he felt at home.

After renting out a room at some shitty motel, Louis decided that he was going to _live_. Sure he’d been on vacation before, loads, but this time, there’d be no “staying-in-to-order-room-service-and-laying-in-bed-all-day” day’s. This was where he belonged, and he sure as hell was going to milk it for all it was worth.

This was his favourite feeling in the entire world.Not having consumed enough to classify as being “drunk”, but certainly not “sober” either.It was an in-between, fuzzy, _happy_ feeling that Louis craved.With it being his first beach party, he left before he could get completely, flat out drunk. For the first time in a span of 3 days, _he_ had made the decision to leave on his own, and for that he was proud.

“No wonder L.A. is considered the city of angels” murmured Louis, as he approached a homeless man sleeping outside of his motel on the way home.As dishevelled as this man currently was, Louis could tell that _my god, he was gorgeous_. With curly brown hair, soft pink lips, and legs for days, this was quite possibly the most beautiful thing Louis had ever seen in his 22 years of existence.”Hey,you alright?” he timidly asked, extending out a hand to gently shake mystery boy’s shoulder. The boy woke with a start, and just when Louis thought he couldn’t possibly be even more perfect, _green eyes_. “O-oh um yeah, yeah, perfect.Sorry for getting in your way, I’ll be off now” he mumbled, cursing under his breath as he attempted to stumble away. “Hey, hey man, no, cmon, c’mere for a sec” Louis called out as he reached out for mystery boys arm, a desperate attempt to get a closer look at him, really.The boy turned around, shivering with fear, and without a moments hesitation, Louis said “alright.I’ve got a 2 bedroom suite, so if you wanna ditch the streets and crash at my place, you can. You don’t have to be scared. I won’t hurt you.”And thats how Louis ended up walking hand in hand with mystery boy, which really, should’ve been his first clue.

“Tell me about yourself” Louis simply stated as he handed the boy a coffee.At one point, mystery boy had obviously figured out that Louis was in fact not a serial killer, but just a lonely young man looking for some company. Harry was happy to oblige. “umm.. not much to tell, i s’pose. I’m 19, I’m from Cheshire -“ “no way, you’re english?” “yea..but rain’s never really been my thing, so I left.” He said with a shrug, as if moving halfway across the world was some fucking walk in the park for him. “Anyways, I have an older sister, Gemma, she’s amazing..um..I like to write..I had a childhood crush on Mulan..and..oh yeah, I’m homeless, as if you couldn’t already tell.”Harry finished with a frown as he stared intently at his coffee.Louis took the awkward silence as a hint to share about himself. “Um, for me..there’s not much really to say..I attend Uni in London, I really like to sing, I have too many younger siblings to count..err..I’ve jerked off to a photo of Emma Watson?” He ended with a sheepish grin as Harry burst out laughing.At some god-forsaken hour in the morning, they both fell asleep on the couch.

Louis wakes up to Harry’s quiet sobs coming from the other side. _”Ah,shit”_ he mutters as he gently took Harry’s hand into his own. Harry woke with a start, eyes shining like emeralds, glistened with tears.”Hey, you okay?” Louis whispers before immediately regretting it, because really, did he _look_ ok? Harry simply shrugs, staring down at their entwined fingers, looking like damn Simba in that one scene from the movie. Louis sighs before enveloping the boy in a warm embrace. They eventually fall back asleep, noticeably closer than they were earlier.

Louis’ spontaneous week-long trip turns into 2 weeks, which turns into 3 weeks, which turns into a month. He spends his first christmas in the US with Harry, which honestly doesn’t upset his mum as much as he thought it would. Maybe his absence was better for the both of them. Eventually, Louis runs out of money ( quite obviously, considering he’s paying for 2, because of course, Harry stays with him.) So, Louis gets a job at the local bookstore.Might not be the glamorous lifestyle he’d bargained for, but he _did_ have a regular little housewife, welcoming him home with a warm hug and freshly made dinner every night, despite the shitty motel.

“Louis, please.You’ve been so nice, and all I’ve been is a bother - no, let me finish. Please, let me help? I mean, we’re not rolling in the dough over here, and I’m assuming you want to eventually move out of the motel. Let me help” Harry begged, and _shit_ those puppy eyes got him every time. So later that week, Louis and Harry went job hunting - this time, for Harry.

“Looking for a job, curly boy?” Louis and Harry heard whilst walking down Sunset. They turned around, and were greeted by a man with a quiff and a sleeve. “Um, yes please.” Said Harry, always a gentleman, as Louis said “not from you, thats for damn sure”, because it was _something about him_ that made Louis want to grab Harry’s hand and run. Ignoring Louis, the man acknowledged Harry, and said “I’m Liam. Hey, aren’t you that homeless dude that always slept in front of that ol’ motel?”. Sensing Harry’s discomfort by his flushed cheeks and rapid blinking, as well as the way he’d started to fold into himself, Louis was quick to say “he’s not anymore. So if you’re gonna offer him a job, at least make it quick”, curling an arm protectively around Harry’s waist. Liam chuckled. “Feisty boy huh? I suppose we could take both of you, but we’re on the hunt for the angelic ones. Whats your name, curly?” “Harry” “Well, Harry, how would you like to make hundreds per night, in a fast, upbeat environment? Free flowing alcohol and gorgeous girls ogling you all night. Sound like something you’d be interested in?” Just then, something clicked in Louis’ mind. _“are you fucking offering him a job as a stripper?”_ , he said in a menacingly low whisper. Liam merely chuckled and reached for Harry’s arm, but Harrys own hand shot out like a snake to push Liam’s hand off. “Douchebag” Louis murmurs as they walk away from him, hand in hand. Harry ends up getting a job at a pizza place.

They were doing well. They’d earned enough money to rent an apartment, and were experiencing everything amazing about LA - together, of course.

“Harry, whats wrong?” Louis asked one night. Recently, Harry had seemed more distant, and as time passed, it only got worse. So, with a comforting hand on Harry’s knee, Louis set out to resolve the problem. When Harry doesn’t speak, Louis does. “Harry, do you not trust me?” Harry looks up at Louis and _oh god, he’s been crying._ Louis’ grip tightens and his eyes soften. “Its just.. this past month has easily been the best month of my entire life. What if what I’m about to say changes it all?” “It won’t, I promise. I’ll never turn you out. Please, just _talk to me_ , for fucks sake.” So Harry takes a deep breath and drops the bomb. “Lou..I-I think that I’m..gay.”

Louis is silent. Not because he’s a homophobic asshole, hell no. But because _thats what Harry was so worked up about?_ He turns to Harry with a reassuring smile and an “Ok”. Harry’s eyes go wide as saucers. “You’re not upset?” “Don’t have to be. Same here.” , Louis says with a shrug. They simply stare at each other, the tension so thick it could’ve been cut with a knife. Then, Louis feels it. He’s always felt it, in the back of his mind. The damn feeling that can only be associated with _Harry_. So he leans in slowly, surely. He’s glad to see that Harry is doing the same. With their foreheads pressed together, They open their eyes. “boyfriend?” Louis whispers. Harry closes the distance between them, and Louis definitely takes it as a yes.

They turn out to be perfect for each other. Harry is what calms Louis down when he’s all riled up and ready to kill a bitch, and Louis is that extra push that Harry needs in order for him to stand up for himself. Louis is always there when Harry is haunted with memories, and Harry is always there when Louis’ mum gets vicious. They get to wake up next to each other, with the California sun streaming in through the window and ones strong arms holding the other. They get to eat breakfast next to each other, smiling and laughing. They get to kiss each other good bye. They get to text each other at work, and grab lunch together, telling each other all kinds of stories. Then, they get to spend the evening together, doing whatever. _“Yea, this is the good life”_ they think, as they crawl into bed, side by side.

 Harry’s hiding something. Louis doesn’t want to push, really, he doesn’t but he needs to know. “Whats on your mind, lovely?” Louis inquires one night as they’re tangled up in each others arms. “Nothing..just family stuff, I guess.” Harry mutters as he closes his eyes with a shaky sigh. “Tell me.” Louis says, almost harshly. Harry remains silent, although he’s quivering a bit. Worried, Louis rubs his hands up and down Harry’s arms. “I’m not attacking you. And we don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to”, he whispers. At this, Harry relaxes."Tomorrow?” he murmurs, barely awake. “Whenever you want, babe.”

“Lou..if you want to talk about _the thing_ we can” Harry says, looking like a child in just his boxers and a t shirt, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. Louis just smiles and hands him his coffee because he’s _way too much in love with this curly motherfucker_.

They migrate to the couch, where Harry says “Don’t interrupt me..just don’t. I need to get it all out.” So Louis merely puts a reassuring hand on Harrys knee and lets Harry continue. “Um..so I wasn’t always homeless, obviously. I grew up with my mum and my dad and Gemma. It was great until..um..” Harry pauses to recollect, tears gathering in his eyes. Louis takes the coffee out of his hands and envelopes Harry into a hug, before he continues. “Um..when I was 16, I had a girlfriend. I was stupid, we were young..and um.. I got her pregnant.” Louis couldn’t help but gasp. Harry looked over at him worriedly, but Louis smiled and said “ok..ok..you can continue..its ok, babe.” “Um..she was really mad when she found out, which always kinda confused me, considering she wanted it..but nonetheless she told me it was all my fault and said that she didn’t want to be part of it’s life. I told my mum and dad, thinking they’d help me, y’know, buy diapers and shit.. but they sorta kicked me out instead? I was almost 17 at this point. I lived with Gemma for a while, in her flat. And um..remember on the first night, when said I have a sister?” “mhmm” “Well, _had_ would’ve been a better term. She died right before the baby was born, car accident. Don’t really wanna talk about that part”. Harry quietly concluded. “I get it babe, skip to the next part, yeah?” Louis said, tears shining in his eyes, _because everything his boyfriend went through holy fuck._ “So I was on the streets, and 2 weeks later, I had a baby with me. She’s bout one at this point, adorable, but I just couldn’t support her. So I took her to a shelter.” “I’m sorry, I know I said I wouldn’t interrupt, but why didn’t you just stay at the shelter too?” “Because Cheshire is shit, only takes one per household. Anyways, about a year later, I was 18, I heard that they moved her to a shelter in LA on her 3rd birthday. I had to come. So last night I was just kinda worried because she’s growing up, she’s starting to think that I don’t want her, which isn’t the case at all..”

Harry clasps his hands together, shaking, and stares down to the floor. Louis closely observes him. Suddenly, Harry pulls out of the embrace, looks Louis straight in the eye, green piercing blue, and says “Just kick me out. I get it.” But Louis’ thinking about something else. “Harry, is she still up for adoption?” Harry’s eyes are shining with realization, and thats that.

                                                                                                                            9 months later

“Daddy, dada, I wanna help!” Harry and Louis turn around to little Araminta tugging on the hems of their shirts. With her straight brown hair and striking hazel eyes, she usually got whatever she wanted in the Tomlinson-Styles household. “hey baby girl..done napping?” Louis says with an affectionate smile as he lifts her up. “What are you making?” she asks, stretching out and extending a finger to poke Harry’s dimple. Louis chuckles while Harry looks up at his daughter, eyes shining with pride. “Cookies, Minta. You wanna help?” Araminta claps her little hands together, in a way that could only be described as a “yes”. “Ok baby, hows about this? Daddy will hand you a piece of dough and you can squash it onto the baking sheet.” “What will Dada do?” Araminta asks, cocking her head slightly. “Dada’s gonna go decorate outside, ok? He says we should spend more time together, just the two of us.” Louis says as Harry slips out through the front door of their recently purchased house.

“Daddy..” “Yes baby?” “..Why doesn’t dada like my mummy?” At this Louis pauses. “What do you mean?” “Well, at preschool, all of my friends daddy’s love their mummys..but dada says that he doesn’t like mummy very much. Why do you think he doesn’t?” Louis thinks about this, before replying with “I guess your mummy wasn’t very kind to dada.” “did she love him?” Louis looks at his daughter with a sad smile. “I don’t think so, Minta.” Araminta’s face falls, before brightening up again. “But _you_ love him, right daddy?” “of course I do, more than anything.” Araminta smiles at this. “I don’t hear you say it very often.” she says, almost accusingly. Louis is shocked by the sudden seriousness portrayed on Araminta’s face. “I say it all the time, I said it this morning.” “nooooooo. You said love ya, not _I love you._ ” “alright, _alright_ I’ll say it properly when he comes back.” Araminta seems satisfied with this as she says “fine. Can we bake the cookies now?” as Louis sticks the cookies in the oven.

“Daddy, he’s coming back” Araminta hollers over the sound of the TV. “Alright baby, I’m coming” Louis shouts back, wiping his hands on his jeans and going to greet Harry at the door. “Harry, babe. I just want you to know that I love you!” Harry raises one eyebrow slowly and says “I already knew that silly. But I love you too. Very much.” before pulling Louis’ lips to his own.

After retrieving the cookies from the oven, Araminta carefully arranges them for Santa. Once she’s satisfied with the cookies and milk, Harry goes to give her her bath and tuck her into bed.

Harry and Louis spend the rest of Christmas Eve cuddled in bed, and Harry decides that his past definitely doesn’t define him. Not one bit.

**Author's Note:**

> my 3 elements were homeless!au, kidfic and christmas baking. soRRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO INCORPORATE THE LAST 2 ELEMENTS OK I LIKE TO HAVE SOME BACKSTORY TO MY FICS


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